DayZ Mod Setup

The @CitadelAdmin mod is the in-game component that executes commands, tracks players, and logs events. It is distributed as a pre-built .pbo — no compilation or source code required.

Automatic Installation

Citadel handles this for you. The @CitadelAdmin mod is automatically installed and kept up-to-date whenever you:

• Deploy a new server via the Deploy page or Setup Wizard
• Start or restart any managed server
• Rebuild a server from the Dangerzone page

The mod is copied from the bundled @CitadelAdmin/ directory in your Citadel installation to each server's root folder. No manual steps are needed.

Manual Installation

If you need to install the mod manually (e.g., on a remote machine without Citadel):

1. Copy the mod to your DayZ server

Copy the @CitadelAdmin folder from your Citadel installation to your DayZ server's root directory:

DayZServer/
├── @CitadelAdmin/
│   ├── addons/
│   │   └── CitadelAdmin.pbo
│   └── mod.cpp
├── DayZServer_x64.exe
├── serverDZ.cfg
└── ...

2. Add the mod to your server launch parameters

Add @CitadelAdmin to your -serverMod parameter:

-serverMod=@CitadelAdmin

[!WARNING] @CitadelAdmin is a server-side mod. Players do not need to download it. Use -serverMod, not -mod, to keep it hidden from clients. [!TIP] If you manage your server through Citadel, the -serverMod=@CitadelAdmin parameter is automatically added to your launch configuration. You only need to set this manually for standalone installations.

3. Verify the profile directory

On first launch, the mod creates its working directory at:

DayZServer/profiles/Citadel/
├── commands/          # Incoming command queue
├── responses/         # Outgoing response queue
├── players.json       # Current player snapshot
└── events.jsonl       # Event log (append-only)

How It Works

Command Runner

The command runner polls $profile:Citadel/commands/ every 3 seconds for new JSON command files. When a command is found:

1. Reads and parses the JSON file
2. Dispatches to the appropriate action handler
3. Writes the result to $profile:Citadel/responses/{id}.json
4. Deletes the original command file

Player Tracker

The player tracker writes a snapshot of all connected players to $profile:Citadel/players.json at a configurable interval. This powers the Live Map and player list in the Citadel dashboard.

Event Logger

The event logger appends structured JSON events to $profile:Citadel/events.jsonl for:

• Player connections / disconnections
• Player kills and deaths
• Vehicle events
• Admin actions

Supported Actions

Troubleshooting

Mod not loading

Check your DayZ server RPT log for:

[Citadel] CitadelMissionServer initialized

If this line is missing, verify:

• The @CitadelAdmin folder is in the server's root directory
• The addons/CitadelAdmin.pbo file exists inside it
• The -serverMod parameter includes @CitadelAdmin

Commands not executing

1. Check that the Sidecar is running and writing files to the correct $profile:Citadel/commands/ directory
2. Verify file permissions — the DayZ server process needs read/write access to the profiles/Citadel/ directory
3. Check the RPT log for [Citadel] prefixed error messages

Sidecar connection issues

If the Citadel dashboard shows "Sidecar offline" for a server:

1. Ensure the sidecar is running (cd sidecar && npm start)
2. Verify the sidecar URL and API key match in the server's settings
3. Check that the sidecar port (default: 9100) is not blocked